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ORIGINS OF COPDANET
From 1995 onwards, a number of voluntary agencies
engaged in development initiatives along the Bay of Bengal coast used to come
together on various occasions to discuss common issues faced by them. The common
perspective emerged in a four day Inter-state Consultation on the Coastal Poor
of the Bay of Bengal Region in Pondicherry in January 1998. The resolution of
the Consultation was circulated to various voluntary agencies and citizens’
groups throughout the Eastern coast of India, and eventually "The Dialogue
Group" - a citizens' forum - initiated Coastal Poor Development Action Network,
which was launched officially from Madras in June 1988.
MANAGEMENT
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
| Chairperson : |
Mr. E.V. S Naidu,
27/309, Police Colony, A.K. Nagar, Nellore 524004
Phone: 0091 861 2329130, Fax: 0091 861 2315224
Mobile: 0091 9440278730 |
| Vice Chairperson : |
Dr. S. Chandra .
Reader,
Queen Mary’s College, Chennai 600 005,
Mobile:0091 9444897847
E-mail:
laks1956@yahoo.co.in |
| Hony. Secretary :
| Dr. Felix N. Sugirtharaj,
85, Vivekananda School Street,
Sakthivel Nagar, Chennai 600082
Phone: 0091 44 26710368, Fax: 0091 4426712150
Mobile: 0091 9444002150, E-mail:
arpmds@vsnl.net
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| Hony. Consultants :
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1) Mr. Jim Enright, Coordinator, MAP
South East Asia
Yaotak Building B-206
31 Vienkapang Road
Amphur Muang, Trang 92000
Thailand
Tel: 0066-75-226-258, E-mail:
mapasia@loxinfo.co.th
2) Mr. Alfredo Quarto,
Executive Director – MAP
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279
USA
Phone/ fax 001 360 452-5866,
E-mail:
mangroveap@olympus.net |
| Advisory Committee :
| 1. Mr. Anuradha Wicramasinghe,
Director, Small Fishers Federation
Chilaw, Sri Lanka
Phone: 0094 322 248707
E-mail: sffl1anu@bellmail.lk
2. Mr. Bijay K.Nanda
Hony. Executive Director
Sandhan Foundation
D/62, Block-11
Jayadev Vihar
Bhubaneswar-751013
Tel: 0091-674-2360699
Cell: 0091 9338204212
E-mail: bknanda@sify.com,
ccrc@sandhanfoundation.info
3. Ms. Anitha,
Freelancer Environmentalist,
Tiruvanathapuram, Kerala, mobile:0091 94470-78113.
E-mail: anithasharma2007@gmail.com
4. Dr. Mithra Augustine,
Retd. Professor of Zoology,
Madras Christian College,
Tambaram, Chennai 59. Ph: 0091 44
5. Dr. P.V. Sree Kumar, Botanist
Post Bag No-25
Junglighat Post
Port Blair, Andaman Islands
Pin- 744103
Phone- 00919933269190
6. Prof. S. G. Mahmood, M.Sc., M.Phil., D.Head., M.Z.S.I.
Retd. Prof. of Zoology
Environmental educator for school and college students
08/19, Ganapathy Street,
Roypettai – PO
Chennai 600 014.
7. Dr.K. Karthigeyan,
No.6, Santhi Nagar, 10th Street, Adambakkam
Chennai 600 088, Mobile: 0091 9841647879
E-mail:
karthigeyan.murthy@gmail.com
8. Miss. Lily Thapa
South Asia Network for Widows Empowerment and Development
Po. Box- 8973NPC427
Kathmandu, Nepal |
OBJECTIVES
There are five broad goals
which make COPDANET unique in its approach to coastal development without any
distinction of caste, creed, colour, race or sex.
1. Biodiversity of all living organisms on earth are of decisive importance for
the global survival. Therefore conserving biodiversity along with sustainable
human habitat is our prime objective.
2. People depend on earth’s living systems, for both life and livelihood. Every
twenty minutes another plant or animal species is lost. COPDANET’s job is bind
people and ecosystems together though a resilient web.
3. The most vulnerable among us are the coastal poor who cannot import resources
if their ecosystem fail or perish. Economic pressure is eroding the poor to
migrate from their habitats. Why should we not engage them in conservation and
reduce poverty and improve livelihood options? 4. Setting up of people based
resource centres for providing awareness of mangroves, supporting peoples
management in restoration of environment, using people knowledge to mitigate
coastal disasters are other important objectives of COPDANET.
5. COPDANET will play the role of a watchdog and a catalyst in enabling grass
root organizations to lobby for their “Right to live”, “The Right to employment
“ and “The Right to stop anti-peoples polices” eroding the coast of Bay of
Bengal region in India.
OPERATIONAL
AREA
Reconstruction of Tsunami affected communities
Tsunami had played havoc in both the areas of our
operation. Till now we are engaged in counseling, rehabilitation and enabling
Tsunami widows to overcome apathy, sorrow, helplessness by offering them income
generation programmes in mangrove restoration and conserving activities.
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
COPDANET entered Andaman and
Nicobar Islands at the request of the poor fishers in 1998 and then worked with
other coastal poor including tribals, locals and migrants and established a
Mangrove Resource Center in Bamboo Flat, Shoal Bay, South Andaman in 2004, with
the help of Seacology an U.S. based NGO which works for preserving Island People
cultures.
COPDANET did extensive Tsunami Relief Work
soon after Tsunami in December 2004. Now it has been cooperating with peoples
organizations focusing on environment awareness campaigns in schools, colleges
and tribal reserves through popular theatre plays, posters, picture
competitions, celebrating Mangrove Action Day and holding consultations for like
minded Andaman Islanders on important conservation issues.
PULICAT LAGOON OF SOUTH INDIA
Mangrove Conservation and
Restoration in Pulicat Lagoon, (close to Chennai) which is 361 square kilometers
spread out in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. COPDANET first entered Pulicat
lagoon, the largest salt water lagoon next to Chilka Lake with 40000 people
depending on the lagoon for survival, in 1998 to help the lagoon fisherfolk to
modernize their crafts and gears for better fishing and improve their quality of
life. COPDANET was awarded with Trophies during Flemingo Festivals consecutively
thrice for planting mangroves and protecting bird sanctuaries in Pulicat Lagoon.
COASTAL ZONES OF INDIA
INDIA with a long coastline of more than 7500
kilometers, produces 3.5 million tones of fish. The eastern coastline is 2500
kilometers where most of the artisenal fisherfolk and other coastal poor such as
Dalits and Tribals ekk their living through traditional fishing methods
producing 60% of the total fish catch. The fisher population alone is 9,50,000
who live in more than 1590 villages close to the sea. The coastal line between
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the east coast is more than 1650 kilometers
which was affected by Tsunami in December 26, 2004.
The major coastal towns are kakinada, Vizag
Machilipattnam, Nellore, Sulurpet, and in Tamilnadu, Chennai, Pondy, Karaikal,
Nagapatinam, Cuddalore Tutucorin, Ramnad and Kanyakumari.
COPDANET works in the south eastern states including Andaman Nicobar Islands
also.
CHIEF FUNCTIONARY
Felix N. Sugirtharaj has a long history in environmental action since 1980. For
ten long years he served the Dalit farm labour and fostered a Labour Union which
is still vibrant. He was appointed by the Supreme Court as a Commissioner to
investigate bonded labour menace in Tamilnadu in 1990 and submitted a report
proving that there were one millions bonded labourers in all rural sectors.
Since 1993 he has been asked by the Coastal Communities to be their consultant
in the formation of the Bay of Bengal Fishworkers Union in Orissa, Tamilnadu,
Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh. He opted for conservation of mangrove eco-system
in Pulicat Lagoon 2000 to enable the lake fisherfolk to replenish fishery
resources and conserve the lagoon from siltation and erosion. Through his
efforts, half of the lake population are aware of mangroves and have been
involved in afforestation and restoration in degraded areas.
On October 25, 2005 he was awarded with a
Special Life Time Award for helping Tsunami victims and conserving and restoring
mangroves in Pulicat Lagoon and Andaman Islands. Through his efforts two
mangrove Resource and Biological Centers were founded both in Pulicat Lagoon and
Andaman Islands.
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